Combined abdominal supporter and pessary



(No Model.)

D. L. SNEDIKER.

COMBINED ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER AND PESSARY. No. 364,968. Patented June 14, 1887.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Jaw'd I XIZedZ'ZeZ', M B I %z's Attorneys M PETERS. Fnuwulhu mr. Washinglnn. 0.0.

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID L. SNEDIKER, OF EMPORIA, KANSAS.

COMBINED ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER AND PESSARY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,968, dated June 14, 1887.

Application filed May 27, 1886. Serial No. 103,385. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it know that I, DAVID L. SNEDIKER, of Emporia, in the county of Lyon and State of Kansas, have invented certain Improvements in Abdominal Supporters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce a supporter for use by females which is provided with a spring-cup for supporting the uterus, and also with pads for external pressure and support of the lower part of the abdomen. These pads are made adjustable by screws, and also are made yielding in the same direction by springs, and they aid in keeping the front part of the body-spring in place and are auxiliary to the pessary as supports or cushioned stays, forming with the body-spring a yielding and appropriate harness, so to speak, for the exterior of the person, well adapted to gently and properly support a yielding pessary in place, the whole apparatus and design being, in view of the motions of the internal and external parts of the body, constantly liable to occur, to provide gently-yielding pressure and support, both externally and internally, by the different parts-viz.,the bodyspring, the adjustable springpads, and the adjustable spring-pcssary.

I prefer to employ the same bodyspring described in my United States Patent No. 308,809, grantedDeeember 2, 1884:, which is adapted to be applied around the hips quite low down and to prevent all pressure upon the back, and is light and comfortable to wear. Being worn well down on the hips, it

continues its upward pressure whenever the patient stoops or the hips are spread, as in long stepping, &c., when the tendency ordinarily is greater for the abdominal parts to come down out of place. In fact, with my in strument the act of stoopiug or the spreading or separation of the hips or thighs tends to momentarily increase the upward pressurethat is, while the thighs are separated-so that when unusual exposure or danger occurs my instrument, on account of its structure and mode of application, is then more vigilant and energetic, so to speak, to protect against it. Such a result cannot be secured where elastic straps are used to support and hold up the uterine-cup stem, and where they are sup ported by a belt around the waist, nor will a bent stem operate in this way when its direct support is above instead of around and upon the hips, whether it be a spring or not.

I provide means, as has heretofore been done, for adjusting the pads outward and inward in addition to the automatic adjustment of springs. I have also provided, as has been done before, thatthe cup shall yield on its stem easily by the action of a gentle spring, made or coated with non-corroding material.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my in'iprovcments, Figure 1 is a View showing the instrument in place. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the uterine cup, showing its details of construction. Figs. 3 and at are views of the cup detached. Figs. 5 and 6 are views of the pads detached, and Fig. 7 is a view of upper part of the stem detachcd.

Referring to the letters upon the drawings, A indicates the body-spring, substantially like that described in my said patent.

B B indicate the pads, which, in addition to being pivotal and spring-acting and adjustable laterally 011 the body-spring, are also made adjustable outward and inward by means of the male and female screws 0 and D, the latter, as shown, fixed to one of the clamp-jaws E, and the former entering and being springcushioned in the pad, as illustrated. This feature, combined with the others, which I omit to describe in detail because they are not new, and are sufficiently intelligible from the drawings, is an important one in connection with the other parts.

F indicates the utcrinccup stem, secured to the body-spring in front by means of clampjaws G, and bent to conform to the contour of the parts and to enter the vagina. When supported by my body-spring, neither the front of the body-spring nor the bent stem will touch the body or external parts if properly applied. The stem is of course capable of being bent more or less to secure a proper position of adjustment.

In order to provide for varying lengths of the vagina, and effecting a proper adjustment of the cup and support of the uterus in its natural position, Ijoint the stem at H and prospring 1? is placed.

vide a screw-connection, as has heretofore been done, so that a longer or shorter internal part, K, of the stem can be employed, as needed. The enlarged part L of the stem part K, in which is a femalescrew, forms a ledge or shoulder, M, at its upper end, between which and the ledge Not the cup 0 the coil- This spring gives an easy yielding action to the cup, which is of much importance, and can be secured so as to be effective to prevent the injuries named above by any spring-action altogethcr'outside of the body.

Q indicates a longitudinal slot in the outer surface of the short stem part K, open at its upper end, and connected by a short transverse slot, R, at its lower end to another longitudinal slot, S, not open at its upper end. (See Fig. 7.)

T is a short stud projecting into the interior of the lower part of the cup to enter the slots in the stem part K and hold the cup and stem part together in such a way that the cup can move up and down on the stem part by the action of the spring 1?, the stud T working in the slot S, so that when the stem is withdrawn it will pull out the cup, because the slot S is closed at its upper end. 

